Paul Pogba suffers a fall from grace, Erling Haaland in devastating form ahead of Manchester derby and more! Gary Lemke highlights a few talking points ahead of the weekend’s football.
POGBA’S SAD FALL FROM GRACE
Life really does come at you fast. Paul Pogba is the latest superstar to suffer a fall from grace, four years after having the footballing world at his feet. Still only 30, he has received a four-year ban – usually world anti-agency Wada hands out a two-year ban for a first offence – for testing positive for performance-enhancing substances which elevated his testosterone.
The extended ban suggests there’s more to it behind the scenes. Pogba left Juventus to join Man United for £89 million in 2016 before re-joining the Serie A side. Injuries have been a major hindrance to him in recent years, but the talent who had the potential to be up there with the giants of his generation will now be remembered mostly for someone who actually underachieved, despite being a World Cup winner.
🚨🇫🇷 BREAKING: Paul Pogba has been banned from football for four years due to doping. pic.twitter.com/1BsdRmijOq
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 29, 2024
HAALAND’S DOMINANCE HIGHLIGHTED
This weekend the Manchester derby highlights the EPL programme, but it’s a match that City fans will look forward to with expectation and United’s with trepidation. And just for extra measure, there’s the Erling Haaland factor to consider.
The prolific Norwegian striker scored a record 36 goals in a 38-match EPL programme last season and 52 goals in all competitions. Despite missing two months with injury, he’s still hit 27 goals in 30 appearances. An interesting table was published this week. Since Haalad joined City he’s scored those 79 goals.
In that same time frame, Mo Salah (Liverpool) had totalled 49, and he’s second behind Haaland. Third will surprise you – Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (35), who is on that tally with United’s Marcus Rashford, but from 11 fewer games.
The only time @ErlingHaaland has been caught offside in the Premier League this season 😅 pic.twitter.com/XqFfvosUQh
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 29, 2024
LIVERPOOL AND UNITED TARGETS FOR SAUDIS
We’re still a while from the next transfer window opening, but already the tongues are wagging, the agents are touting and the chequebooks are at the ready. And the Saudi Pro League situation remains a player. Of course, there’s more speculation than fact, but this week there have been suggestions that two clubs may well be raided in a few months.
With Jurgen Klopp leaving Liverpool – unless he makes a U-turn … – then it’s quite possible the Saudis will come knocking on Mo Salah’s door, and even Virgil van Dijk, while the takeover at Manchester United is almost certainly going to lead to some sort of cleanout, as always happens under new ownership.
Two seasons apart, the same celebration 💪
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 29, 2024
From ballboy to netting a brace at the Kop end ❤️ pic.twitter.com/oKwvCBb7A0
EPL CHIEFS MAKE IT UP AS THEY GO ALONG
Everton fans will have been rubbing their eyes when they refreshed the EPL table this week. Without kicking a ball, they moved from 21 points to 25 and from 17th position to 15th. Three months after receiving a 10-point deduction for breaching Profit And Sustainability rules, the Merseysiders were handed a four-point reprieve on appeal.
Everton argued inconsistency and a lack of guidelines. Nine points are meted out for a club entering administration, while no sanctions were taken against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Man United and Tottenham for trying to create a breakaway Super League. Besides, what’s happening to Man City, accused of over 100 Financial Fair Play breaches? They haven’t even been summoned to court. It’s a classic case of how big your wallet is.
In the gym 🏋️♂️ pic.twitter.com/ydcta1b8XP
— Everton (@Everton) March 1, 2024
DEBUNKING THE LIVERPOOL NARRATIVE
I accept that Liverpool beat Chelsea with a squad filled with products from their Academy and homegrown. However, the age narrative and conversations are simply wrong. Memes showing Liverpool babies sucking dummies while holding the Carabao Cup. Except, Chelsea had the younger players on the pitch throughout the 120 minutes.
The combined starting age of Chelsea was 21 years younger than Liverpool, they started with six players 23 or under (Liverpool had three) and at the end of the match the average Chelsea age was 23, while Liverpool’s was 24.
Youth it’s a reference to age and Chelsea had the younger players. Of course, the fact that their billion-pound internationally-fused squad didn’t deliver against young Liverpool lions from their academy is a different conversation altogether.
Dreamland for Danns ❤️ pic.twitter.com/szDWNQFEnQ
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 29, 2024
REDS REALLY ARE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL
Here’s another Liverpool fact. They became the first club to win 10 League Cups, which took their historic trophy haul (League, FA Cup, League Cup, European Cup/Champions League and other Europe) to 46. Man United are second with 43, and they’ve won more League titles (20 to 19) and more FA Cups (12 to 8).
There are those who say that when looking to see who the most successful English club has been is to “weight” the trophies in order of importance. Example: 10 points for a Premier League and Champions League, 6.5pts for another European trophy, 5.5pts for the FA Cup and 4.5pts for the League Cup. Guess what. Liverpool still tops that table, ahead of Man United, Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea.
Looking good 😁 pic.twitter.com/J61mm9GrGW
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 25, 2024
